Hi all,

You may have seen that we publish advice and information blogs for prospective postgraduates over at FindAMasters and FindAPhD. They've been pretty successful so far, but we're always looking to make them better.

One way to do that, I think, would be to encourage more guest bloggers to share their specific ideas, experiences and expertise.

And that's why I'm reaching out to the community here.

If any of you would like to get involved, I'd love to hear from you. Topics don't have to earth-shatteringly profound or seek to redefine the concept of postgraduate study. Nor do they have to be incredibly long (we tend to feature posts of around 700-1,500 words).

Getting involved means the chance to help other students, first and foremost. As you do that you'll also be writing for a professional website with a substantial audience. That probably won't hurt your CV.

You can see the sort of material we currently publish over on FindAMasters (https://www.findamasters.com/advice/blog/) and FindAPhD:(https://www.findaphd.com/advice/blog/).


If you're interested in contributing, let me know. You can get in touch via email (mbennett @ findauniversity.com) or send me a direct message on the forum.

Have a good one!

Mark

Hi Moosie

I moved institutions during my PhD for exactly the same reason - essentially followed my supervisor. It wasn't a particularly complicated process, but the new university did need to agree the transfer and formally recognise the work I'd done so far / progress I'd made. My supervisor was able to sort most of this and 'vouch for me'.

There may be some restrictions based on how far along you are, what kind of programme you're joining etc, but if your supervisor is confident a transfer is an option, it probably is.

Ahem.

Sounds like a great idea for a thread - good shout.

We've published a little bit of advice for new students recently back on the FindAPhD blog.

https://www.findaphd.com/advice/blog/

With my 'Editor Hat' on I'd be very happy to chat to anyone who's interested in sharing their initial PhD experiences as a guest poster - now, or in future.

Cheers

Mark

Hi Onyx

I wouldn't worry - 'Brexit' won't actually happen until at least October 2018 - and that's assuming the decision is formally made by the new Prime Minister immediately after the Conservative Party conference *and* that the process only takes the standard two year period allowed by the European Council (this can be extended).

As for your research, it sounds to me like your topic is still valid. You're looking at the results of interactions between different legal systems - even if those results change in future, you've still examined an important process. It's possible that your work may actually become more relevant or topical.

Of course it is - welcome, even.

And yes, it's difficult to predict the future and we should be wary of over-simplifying any of this.

That said, so long as the UK is an EU member the 'dynamism' of its politics are limited with respect to discrimination within fee and funding arrangements.

Postgraduate fees aren't directly regulated by government and universities are free to raise them. What they can't do is charge an EU student any more than a UK student - and there's nothing the government can do about that.

The situation with loans is similar. No future UK government can remove EU students' entitlement to public student funding whilst the UK is still a member. It can alter the postgraduate loans scheme itself, of course, but it can't discriminate within it.

By the same token, EU countries could introduce or raise fees, but they wouldn't be able to charge extra to UK students except in certain circumstances (the Czech Republic, for example, does charge - but only for courses that aren't in Czech).

Thanks - it is in theory and should be in practice. I can't personally see a scenario in which the UK ceases to participate - that wouldn't make sense from anyone's pov.

I know, I know - it's hardly the most exciting topic. But we've had a look at the ref' from a PG perspective over at FindAMasters & FindAPhD and think the topic is fairly important if you're considering a postgraduate degree.

Feel free to take a look / share / disagree / ignore completely:

Not sure if you're referring to the Postgrad' Student Loans being introduced this year? If so, I'm afraid not - those are currently only being offered for full Masters degrees.

More info in our guide over at FindAMasters, if helpful:

Hi DinosRetsas

I think you may actually have emailed us with this query - see my reply if so.

But to sum up - yes, you should be eligible as an EU student. The only question will be whether your 5 year degree is equivalent to a UK Masters. If it *isn't* you'll be able to get a loan.

Hope that helps a bit!

Mark

I did try this on a member of professional services at a UK uni yesterday (can't say which one) and they were intrigued until they read that Mary Rose was consulting.

Actual PhD-related April Fools are just cruel!

Drat. We thought we'd convince people when we photo-shopped a 'redbrick' onto an oil rig ;)

Professor Birdseye though...

Not sure if you guys have seen this news story...

Hi Hugh.

It's certainly something I can pass on to our IT team. So I have!

I'm afraid I can't speak for the British Council, but they aren't directly responsible for these loans.

The British Council works to support international students in the UK. As part of that they administer scholarships for students from different countries - and may be able to help you secure funding as a Greek student.

The Postgraduate Masters Loans are separate to this. They're essentially a form of public funding in which the UK government lends money to UK students to help pay for their education. EU students are also eligible for the loans as a condition of the UK's EU membership.

The Masters loans don't actually come in separate fee and maintenance amounts. Students can simply borrow up to £10,000, subject to the eligibility criteria discussed.

I'm not a representative of the UK government, but I am responsible for all of the loan information on the FindAMasters website and have had meetings with the Student Loans Company. To the best of my knowledge, you'll only be eligible for a postgraduate Masters loan as an EU student if you study your Masters in England.

I'll be in touch if I hear anything else.